A technique is known which checks the driving skill of a driver and reflects a result of the check on automotive control. Such a technique is disclosed, for example, in Japan Patent Laid-Open No. 191315/1994, which uses the rate of change of angle of the steering wheel and the rate of change of lateral acceleration in determining the driving skill of a driver.
The above driving ability decision method has the drawback that when a car skids laterally while cornering and the driver performs highly technical steering operations (such as countersteering whereby the driver steers in a direction opposite the direction of turning), a precise driving ability decision is rendered impossible.